CORAL REEFS, AND ISLANDS. 261 



is so flexuous in the vicinity of continents, that 

 while the enclosed region is about fifty-six degrees 

 wide in mid-ocean, it is in the Pacific only twenty- 

 five degrees wide on the west coast of America, 

 and forty-five degrees on the Asiatic side, whilst 

 in the Atlantic it is fifteen degrees wide on the 

 African coast, and forty-eight degrees on the coast 

 of America. 1 



Both Darwin and Dana, in their works already 

 alluded to, give abundant details of the geographical 

 distribution of coral reefs, which would scarcely be 

 of much interest to the general reader. We shall be 

 content to allude briefly to some of the most im- 

 portant coral areas, it being understood that we 

 only select a few. In the Pacific Ocean the Pau- 

 motas embrace eighty coral islands, and near 

 them the Gambier Islands with extensive reefs. 

 The Society Islands have also extensive coral reefs 

 and barriers, as have also the Samoa or Navigator's 

 Islands. The Tonga Islands for the most part 

 abound in coral reefs. The Fiji group possess reefs 



1 The following table is from Prof. Dana's work, and shows 

 the coral boundary lines where they meet continental coasts. 



Pacific. Atlantic. 



East side of Ocean Lat. 21 N. Lat. 10 N. 



4 S. 5 S. 



West side of Ocean 15 N. 26 N. 



. 30 S. 22 S. 



